A COVID-19 test site in Paris, France. Photo: AFP/VNA
According to the article, the COVID-19 pandemic has not completely disappeared, with diverse variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus still appearing. Most recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the new variant EG.5 as "need to watch" after it was first detected on February 17.
EG.5.1, aka Eris, is a subvariant of the EG.5 lineage, currently confirmed in 88% of the genetic sequencing results of COVID-19 patient samples analyzed by the researchers. WHO has classified EG.5.1 as a "variant of concern" since August 9, but has not yet reached the level of "concern", and assesses that this sub-lineage poses a risk to global health in Vietnam. low.
In fact, although this sub-lineage is the majority in France, it has only increased the number of suspected cases. According to an update of the French Ministry of Public Health, as this sub-line spreads, the number of visits for suspected COVID-19 infection is increasing, specifically by 25% among people aged 15-74 years. However, the ministry noted that emergency room visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19 in children decreased by 6% and 7%, respectively, while these figures remained stable in adults.
According to WHO, on a global scale, the incidence of EG.5 variant infections has steadily increased. The global prevalence of the EG.5 variant was 17,4%, a significant increase from the data reported 4 weeks earlier, when the global prevalence of the EG.5 variant was 7,6. %. As of August 7, the countries most affected are China (8%), the US (30,6%) and South Korea (18,4%).
WHO assesses the global health risk from Eris as low, stating that to date, there have been no reports of any change in disease severity associated with infection with the Eris subline. Although there was a simultaneous increase in hospital admissions and Eris variant infection rates in Japan or South Korea, no link was established between the two conditions.
However, WHO also notes that with its higher transmissibility, Eris could increase the incidence of the disease in countries where this sub-lineage is becoming a major pathogen. The symptoms remain the same as the previous variations: Fever, cough, headache, body aches, etc.
In France, updated results show that the incidence of EG.5 infections is 1,6%. However, according to experts, from the end of June, the monitoring of the COVID-6 epidemic situation has been gradually eased, so it is likely that the above indicators do not accurately and closely reflect the actual situation. For example, in the city of Bayonne, since the end of July, pharmacies in the city have reported performing many antigen tests, many of which have positive results.
The analysis of “Le Point” cited retired epidemiologist Catherine Hill, suggesting that now that traditional disease monitoring measures have been relaxed, it is possible to implement alternative measures. Thus, based on the results of wastewater sample analysis to monitor the development of the Eris substream at a low cost.
